Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) is the technology that allows cultivation of plants under preferred environmental conditions; within structures such as greenhouses, hydroponics, aquaculture, or aquaponics. By using CEA, we can produce high- value crops at maximum productivity in an efficient and environmentally friendly way. Moreover horticultural practices for crops can be optimized when grown under controlled conditions.

Hydroponics: It is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. Terrestrial plants may be grown with their roots in the mineral nutrient solution only or in an inert medium, such as perlite, gravel, mineral wool, expanded clay pebbles or coconut husk. The environment of the plants can be efficiently controlled inside the grow room which directly impacts the productivity positively.

Greenhouses: A greenhouse is a structural building with different types of covering materials, such as a glass or plastic roof and frequently glass or plastic walls; it heats up because incoming visible solar radiation (for which the glass is transparent) from the sun is absorbed by plants, soil, and other things inside the building. Air warmed by the heat from hot interior surfaces is retained in the building by the roof and wall. In addition, the warmed structures and plants inside the greenhouse re-radiate some of their thermal energy in the infrared spectrum, to which glass is partly opaque, so some of this energy is also trapped inside the glasshouse. However, this latter process is a minor player compared with the former (convective) process. Thus, the primary heating mechanism of a greenhouse is convection. This can be demonstrated by opening a small window near the roof of a greenhouse: the temperature drops considerably. This principle is the basis of the autovent automatic cooling system. Thus, the glass used for a greenhouse works as a barrier to air flow, and its effect is to trap energy within the greenhouse. The air that is warmed near the ground is prevented from rising indefinitely and flowing away.

Aquaculture: Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Freshwater and saltwater populations are cultivated under controlled conditions, on the contrary to commercial fishing, wherein wild fishes are harvested. Broadly speaking, aquaculture is akin to agriculture. According to the FAO, aquaculture is understood to mean the farming of aquatic organisms including fish, molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic plants. Particular kinds of aquaculture include fish farming, shrimp farming, oyster farming, algaculture (such as seaweed farming), and the cultivation of ornamental fish. Particular methods include aquaponics and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, both of which integrate fish farming and plant farming.

Aquaponics: Aquaponics or pisciponics, is a sustainable food production system that combines conventional aquaculture, (raising aquatic animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks), with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. In aquaculture, effluents accumulate in the water, increasing toxicity for the fish. This water is led to a hydroponic system where the by-products from the aquaculture are broken down by nitrogen-fixing bacteria, then filtered out by the plants as nutrients, after which the cleaned water is re-circulated back to the animals. As existing hydroponic and aquaculture farming techniques form the basis for all aquaponics systems, the size, complexity, and types of foods grown in an aquaponics system can vary as much as any system found in either distinct farming discipline

4. Aquaponics: Aquaponics or pisciponics, is a sustainable food production system that combines conventional aquaculture, (raising aquatic animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks), with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. In aquaculture, effluents accumulate in the water, increasing toxicity for the fish. This water is led to a hydroponic system where the by-products from the aquaculture are broken down by nitrogen-fixing bacteria, then filtered out by the plants as nutrients, after which the cleaned water is re-circulated back to the animals. As existing hydroponic and aquaculture farming techniques form the basis for all aquaponics systems, the size, complexity, and types of foods grown in an aquaponics system can vary as much as any system found in either distinct farming discipline

Avocados are one of the wonderful summer fruit, which is high in nutrition and flavor. Growing avocado trees is very easy and anyone can grow their own plant by planting a seed. A citrus avocado fruit trees nearly takes 10 to 15 years from seed to produce fruit and to know whether it is edible. All the fruits grown from seed will have different taste and they won’t taste like the grocery purchased avocado. It is because the grocery fruits are been grown from cloning or from grafting. Grafted fruit tree produce [Read more…]

Have you ever heard about floating hydroponic vegetable gardening? Mostly floating vegetable garden grows on the lake or lake side. People who reside near the lake enjoy growing fresh homegrown produce all summer long as they don’t have much access for land they grow crops on the floating rack.

Building a floating garden is very easy; you need to create a special float made of logs. Get [Read more…]

Zebrina Pendula, a wonderful houseplant to grow and care. Zebrina Pendula is a species of spiderwort and most commonly known as an inch plant or wandering jew. It is also knows as Tradescantia Zebrina. Zebrina pendula is a fast-growing plant with deep green or purple leaves and velvety purple undersides. Though it is a hardy plant, it can also be grown outdoors in warm climates.

Propagate Zebrina by its cuttings. Keep the cuttings in water and make sure you change the water [Read more…]

Getting ready for Christmas…? Are you confused which Christmas tree to purchase? Puzzled what should be gifted to your loved ones? Don’t worry you can just grow your own Christmas Tree in your indoor garden and enjoy decorating and gifting it to your friends.

Christmas tree is an evergreen conifer such as pine or fir which is traditionally associated with the celebration of Christmas. Setting up a Christmas tree has become a tradition now and most of them love to grow and decorate the natural trees in their home.

Fir (Abies) are most commonly used as a Christmas tree because this fir do not shed their needles even [Read more…]

Growing in hydroponics, growers found tastier and healthier vegetables and fruits in their hydroponics garden. Though growers enjoy growing purely organic garden, they experience an unpleasant and different kind of smell in their hydroponics garden. The bad smell is present in the hydroponics systems; since it has closed systems with controlled temperatures you cannot escape the bad smell.

Light plays an important role in plant life and it is necessary for the plant to survive as they serve as a primary energy source. No plant will survive for long without light. However, some plants still grow and flourish even without having direct sunlight on them, while some other plants thrive in artificial grow lights.

Few plants which thrive without direct sunlight are known as low light plants or shade plants. These kind of plants can be grown under fluorescent lights. Few plants like tropical plants need lots of [Read more…]

Plants grow healthy and produce bigger yields when they are happy. If your plants are not happy then they won’t turn up good. Check and observe your plants closely, check their grow set up and their growing cycles. You can say everything about your plant only by observing their leaves.

Watering your plants is the most important thing in gardening. There are different categories of plants and their water requirement is also different. People misunderstand this concept and give a lot of water which leads to root rot and the plant dies. Observe the leaves of your plant, [Read more…]

Cucumber is a warm season vegetable which is a part of the gourd family. Cucumbers have many health benefits and used for skin treatment, especially for eyes! Let’s see how to grow cucumbers hydroponically.

Ideally, Cucumbers are grown during the summer but with one can grow Hydroponically anytime during an year. Growing cucumbers with hydroponics produce [Read more…]

Plants need macro and micro nutrients to grow and thrive. These nutrients are supplied to the plants whether it is grown in soil medium or in hydroponics. Just like any other living tissue, plants also have tissues and it is made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen along with 23 other elements essential for biochemical reactions and structural biomass development. Plants can obtain elements like carbon, nitrogen, and [Read more…]

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If you do not have enough space to grow a vegetable garden, no need to worry too much. Windowsill gardening has brought a complete solution for urban dwellers. A windowsill can provide sufficient space for a productive vegetable gardening. Indoor vegetable gardening needs bright light, water, nutrients, and protection from pests and diseases. It is […]

Hydroponics means growing plants without soil in an aqua-based medium. There are various techniques and systems with which hydroponic plants can be grown such as Deep Water Culture, Ebb and Flow, Drip System, Nutrient Film Techniques, and Wick System. Each of the hydroponics systems has its own technique to provide plants with water, food, and […]

Indoor gardening cannot depend on sun as a source of light. Plants depend upon artificial light source. Light bulbs, like any other hydroponic equipments require certain research and study before purchase. There are three main types of hydroponic lights: Incandescent, fluorescent, and high-intensity discharge (HID). Incandescent lights are not usually preferred by growers. They are […]

Vegetable gardening can be said incomplete without growing tomatoes. Tomatoes can be grown easily indoors or outdoors only if you provide them good care and maintain properly. There are many varieites through which a Tomato can be grown in your vegetable gardening. Choose the best varieties including Better Boy, Creole, Big Boy, Early Girl, Brandywine, […]

The hydroponic growers all around the world are looking for high-end, technologically superior and yet economical hydroponic supplies for their gardens. The most primary benefit of using hydroponic systems is of course no need of soil and use of less space. Growers who are planning to upgrade their hydroponics systems to get bigger harvests in […]